My entire pharmacy career has been within the walls of a grocery store…and girl, it sure has its perks.
24/7 access to sushi, Starbucks, and warm chocolate chip cookies. Not to mention a ginormous chip aisle and plenty of produce! My mid-shift snack options are endless! Plus, I don’t need to make an extra stop for groceries after work, I’m already there! Staple items, like bread, milk, and eggs are always just a few feet away.
So it blew my mind when, a few months ago, I reached into my spice cabinet as I was preparing dinner, and realized…I was out of salt!
How does a girl who works at a grocery store filled with every type of salt known to man (Himalayan, Kosher, Sea Salt, Iodized, Non Iodized) run out of salt?
Unfortunately, it happens…and it happens in other areas of my life too.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his disciples (with the crowd listening in), “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
‘You are salt.’ It’s a statement declaring identity. Their identity. And as a follower of Christ, it’s our identity too. Jesus created us to be salt…and STAY SALTY (not the way the urban dictionary defines it).
Salt adds flavor. Salt makes you thirsty. Salt preserves.
I love the way the Message translation says it, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the GOD-FLAVORS of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.”
I know I’ve experienced times when I was all hyped up after attending a church conference or a Bible Study, only to lose my cool with my family within the first five minutes of being home. The truth is, we can surround ourselves with Bibles, Bible Apps, and Bible studies. We can listen to sermon podcast, read daily devotions, and attend church services (all of which are good things)…but if we’re moody, unkind or ignore those around us…what’s the point? It must translate into our every day lives.
Father, help us to recognize the role you have given us here on earth. You’ve called us to be SALT. To add your flavor, to preserve your culture and to cause others to thirst for you.
Stay salty, my friends… “For if you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness.” (Matthew 5:13b MSG)
-Binu
